Method and device for pre-saving personal data for a subscriber to a telecommunications network

ABSTRACT

In a method for saving personal data for a subscriber to a wireless communications network, the data is being memorized in a mobile communication station and saved in a network server by means of a first communication channel and in a first saving mode. A determination is made whether the mobile device may establish a second communication channel and/or has an other mode of saving. If so, communication is opened on the second channel and/or according to the other mode, and the data is saved by means of the second communication channel and/or the other mode.

The invention relates to the field of wireless communication networksand, more specifically, to a method of backing up a personal informationfile, such as a phone book saved in the mobile devices that use thesenetworks or the associated subscriber identity module cards.

In such a network, such as a GSM network (acronym meaning Global Systemfor Mobile Communication), subscribers have a SIM or (U)SIM card(acronyms meaning (Universal) Subscriber Identity Module). This SIM cardis personalised so as to allow the subscriber to have access to variousapplications and/or services. It also contains personal information,such as files of phone books, diaries, etc.

Operators currently allow their subscribers to back up this personalinformation onto a server by means of SMS messages (acronym meaningShort Message Service).

Most technical solutions rely on a mechanism for synchronising datamemorised in the card and/or mobile with the data memorised in a backupdatabase of the server. In this mechanism, only the modified data aretransferred with a view to optimising the use of SMS due to the costinvolved.

The backup can be started automatically or manually at the request ofthe user.

When a large volume of data is involved, remote backup onto a server hasthe disadvantage of having a relatively high cost and taking too muchtime when performed in a continuous mode.

The amount of time required for backing up a phone book containing 255telephone numbers with names associated via SMS messages is estimated ataround 5 minutes.

On the other hand, not all mobiles have the same functions that wouldmake it possible to implement a unique backup solution that is easy toroll-out and easy to use.

One aim of this invention is to find a mechanism for backing up thepersonal data of a subscriber to a wireless communication network, thedata being memorised in a mobile communication station and backed up ina network server, using a first communication channel and/or accordingto a first backup mode.

It is characterised in that it comprises at least the following steps,according to which:

-   -   it is determined whether the mobile has a function that allows        it to establish at least one second communication channel and/or        another backup mode and, if so,    -   communication is opened on this second channel and/or according        to this other mode, and the data are backed up via the second        communication channel and/or this other mode.

This method, implemented with the help, mainly, of a specificapplication installed in the SIM card makes it possible to performbackups using the best adapted channel, when it exists. This automaticfunctioning is useful considering the diversity of the functionssupported by the mobile devices available on the market. Not all devicessupport another communication channel and, in the case of severalchannels and/or modes being possible, the invention ensures that theuser does not need to worry about the configuration required for optimumbackups according to its own pre-recorded or pre-selected criteria.

On the other hand, in the case of a less-advanced mobile that does notoffer another channel or when a large batch of data needs to be backedup over a given channel that is not very practical in terms of costs andthe delay caused, an alternative backup mode can be implemented orproposed to the subscriber (deferred mode, saving mode, etc.)

According to other characteristics of the method:

-   -   the mobile function used to establish at least a second channel        is BIP;    -   the method comprises a prior step 11 according to which it        detects that the volume of the data to be backed up is larger        than a predetermined volume, and the second channel 9 and/or        another better adapted mode is selected.

In this regard, other backup arrangements, modes or options can beproposed to the subscriber or implemented automatically, mainly with aview to reducing the waiting time and/or the cost. In the automaticcase, the method can implement options, default criteria and selectablecriteria, as well tests relating to its options or criteria.

-   -   The predetermined volume threshold is equal to 200 Kbytes, and        the waiting time threshold is equal to 2 minutes;    -   The second channel is chosen from among CSD and GPRS;    -   The first channel is of the type that uses SMS messages;    -   The method comprises a prior assessment step, in which it is        determined whether the cost of the data to be backed up is        higher than a predetermined threshold, and the backup is        performed according to an adapted channel and/or backup mode.

The invention further relates to a portable device comprising anapplication for backing up the personal data of a subscriber to awireless communication network server, using a first communicationchannel and a first backup mode.

It is characterised in that the application can implement the followingsteps, which consist of:

-   -   determining whether the device has a function and/or another        backup mode that allows it to establish at least a second        communication channel and/or another backup mode, and if so,    -   opening the communication on this second channel and/or this        other mode, and proceeding to back up the data via this second        communication channel and/or this other mode.

According to one characteristic, the portable device consists of asubscriber identity module card. The card is designed to operate withregard to a mobile communication device.

The device according to the invention includes all portable wirelesscommunication devices (mobile), such as PDAs, personal assistants with awireless communication function and work with or without a chip card, aswell as cards with a SIM or U(SIM) chip.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear fromreading the following description of specific embodiments of theinvention, said description being provided with the appended drawings,in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the network architecture of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a chip of the SIM card,

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the steps in a backup program according tothe method of the invention,

FIGS. 4 and 5 show additional or alternative tests and modes of thebackup program in FIG. 3.

In the example, a wireless communication architecture is used for a GSMnetwork, comprising mobile radiotelephone stations, comprising mobilesME 1 of subscribers and equipped with SIM cards 2 and a remote server 3which can be accessed by so-called SMS messages, via GPRS or CSDchannels, which are acronyms meaning General Packet Radio Service andCircuit Switched Data respectively. In fact, multiple networks can beused with different characteristics. They can also include network typessuch as UMTS or WLAN (acronyms which respectively mean Universal MobileTelecommunications System and Wireless Local Area Network), which cancarry simple or sophisticated personal data of the subscriber, includingmultimedia such as MMS or streaming audio and video.

The mobiles 1 can include other communication devices such as PDAs,personal assistants equipped with a wireless communication interface.

The personal data 7 can be saved previously in the mobile device 1and/or in the chip 4 of the card. In the example, the data are initiallyin the chip.

The server 3 contains a communication interface for receiving andsending messages with the mobile stations, a processing unit, a “server”backup application of a known type and a database 5 for backing up thepersonal data of the subscribers.

The electronic chip 11 of the subscriber identity module card comprises,in a known fashion, a processor connected via a data and control bus toa ROM application memory on the one hand, which mainly contains anoperating system for the card and specific algorithms, and to aprogrammable memory and a random access memory (RAM) on the other hand.

The programmable memory, mainly such as EEPROM, mainly includes thesubscriber's data or data relating to the latter's subscription with itsassociated encoding key (IMSI, Ki), which can authorise a communicationservice and specific applications.

According to a characteristic of the invention, the card includes anapplication 6, called an applet, which is saved in its programmablememory and can launch a backup of the data in an optimised fashionaccording to the available and/or accessible channels and/or accordingto specific backup modes.

The application can, for example, be of the SIM toolkit type, whichmeans that it uses sets of commands that conform to the GSM 11.14standard, allowing the card to be “pro-active” in the sense that ittakes the initiative mainly for managing the mobile.

While the card's processor is running the applet, the card takes overall exchanges with the mobile.

This backup program can, in a known fashion, request the mobile totransmit at least one first subset of data from among a batch of data tobe backed up to the server for backing up.

The method of the invention is described, initially, in relation to FIG.3 according to the preferred mode.

A subscriber has a SIM card 2 with a GPRS subscription and an advancedbackup application called “applet SIMchronise BIP”. The personal data inthe SIM consist of a phone book containing 255 telephone numbers, with avolume of more than 500 Kbytes.

The subscriber inserts the SIM in the mobile 1, which supports the BIPfunction (an acronym meaning Bearer Independent Protocol). The “BIP”function is an option of the ESTI “GSM 11 14” standard, which describesthe “SIM Toolkit” (STK) and defines a series of commands and pro-activesituations of the card. According to this protocol, the SIM can use thecommunication means of the mobile equipment ME, regardless of thecommunication technology used.

The SIM automatically detects if the mobile supports “BIP” whenreceiving its status during a preliminary data exchange. It can savethis information in an adapted memory.

The subscriber launches 10 the backup of his/her phonebook to a remoteserver 3 from a menu of the backup application displayed on the screen.

The backup program 6 implements a step of assessing the data to bebacked up (this step is implicit or included in the following test) andtests 11 the volume of data to be backed up. The volume assessed iscompared with a threshold that is equal to 200 Kbytes.

Since the volume of data to be backed up exceeds the threshold, thebackup program connects to another test 12, which consists ofdetermining whether the mobile supports BIP.

In this test, the information received from the mobile when it isswitched on is read and saved in a status memory in the card. Since themobile supports BIP, this means that the backup can be performed viaanother channel that is more useful given the volume of data to bebacked up.

Since this is the case, in the following step 13, the card opens theGPRS channel and then requests the mobile in step 14 to send the data tobe backed up via this channel.

The backup is then carried out in GPRS mode with sequential displayingof the number of numbers sent throughout the process, at very highspeed.

Upon receiving an acknowledgement of receipt from the server or beforereceiving it, the SIM card sends a command to close the GPRS channel instep 15, which ends the advanced backup program according to theinvention.

Then, the subscriber adds a new contact to his/her phone book and, fromthe menu of his/her backup application, launches the backup to theserver as above.

The application has assessed that the volume of data to be backed up isless than 200 Kbytes (NO branch in the test 11) and therefore connectsdirectly to a step 16 that consists of sending a command to the mobilefor the latter to transmit the number to the server via a first channelthat supports SMS messages, and does so in continuous mode.

For the definition of the threshold, the backup program which receives,for example an instruction for a maximum waiting time of 1 minute, cancomprise a logic that transposes the waiting time threshold into avolume threshold and vice-versa. The program can transpose, according toknown values of the bandwidths of the different channels, the timerequired for transmitting a volume of data according to thepredetermined rules that it contains.

According to other characteristics of the invention, the program canalso consist of assessing of the best channel to be used according todifferent criteria and by means of automatic switching to an adaptedchannel.

It can also consist of informing the subscriber of the best channel,allowing the latter to select the channel to be used from thosedisplayed on the screen.

Criteria such as waiting time, cost, reliability, etc., can beprogrammed and modified according to the requirements of thesubscribers.

An additional or alternative test 11 is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The testcan consist of meeting criteria such as the time required for the backup17 (unavailability of the mobile) or possibly the cost of the backup 18(large data, photos, multimedia, etc.). In this way, the subscriber canchoose to back up a considerable amount of data but at the same timereduce the cost and/or the waiting time.

The invention can include other specific backup modes (19, 20),including saving mode, deferring the backup in time and/or space andstarting the backup during more advantageous time slots or whenever aspecific network coverage is detected.

A deferred mode can be, for example of the asynchronous type, whichbreaks down the data to be backed up and spaces out the backup.Likewise, it can consist of performing the backup at a specific time orin a specific location (a geographical area, for example, in the case ofWLANs). The backup can be performed automatically as soon as theconditions that meet the criteria are fulfilled, the geographicallocation is detected or specific network coverage is obtained.

These different modes are set off by associated tests included in thebackup application. The test thresholds and/or different criteria can beconfigured by default or by the subscriber.

In order to define the cost of a backup operation, the device caninclude a cost chart or a calculation rule used by the backupapplication according to the applicable cost parameters at the time. Thereference values and the parameters of these costs can be downloaded bythe operator or by a server. The projected cost can also be determinedby a prior exchange between the mobile station and the server.

One characteristic of the method of the invention rests in the means orsteps that make it possible to perform the backup in different ways,whether via channels and/or according to modes adapted according to thecriteria of the subscriber.

The subscriber can be offered a channel and/or a backup mode accordingto criteria chosen by order of priority, for example in the order ofcost, speed, reliability and security; or possibly with thresholds,combinations or reports of imposed criteria and/or modes, such as bettercost/reliability ratio, cost/security ratio, etc. SMS may be preferredfor reliability, while GPRS may be preferred for speed and cost.

For this reason, the application can include a chart with theproperties/advantages of the different modes and channels available,which will be compared with the criteria introduced or selected by thesubscriber in order to predefine the optimum manner in which the backupwill be performed.

In the case of the mobile not being very advanced, for example becauseit does not support the BIP function, the operation of the advancedbackup application can be transparent for the subscriber, in the sensethat the program will always end with backup over SMS. Whereappropriate, only certain backup modes can be used and, whenever thesubscriber obtains a new mobile that that can operate using differentchannels, he/she can keep the SIM card that contains his/her personaldata and will be able to implement the advanced backup applicationautomatically.

In the opposite case, if the mobile supports several channels such asGPRS and CSD or WLAN, the invention allows advanced, customised backupas mentioned above.

1. Method of backing up the personal data of a subscriber of a wirelesscommunication network, the data being memorised in a mobilecommunication station and backed up to a network server, across a firstcommunication channel and according to a first backup mode, comprisingthe following steps: determining whether the mobile device has afunction that allows it to establish at least a second communicationchannel and/or another backup mode, and if so, opening communication onsaid second channel and/or according to said other mode, and the dataare backed up via said second communication channel and/or said othermode.
 2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the function that makes itpossible to establish at least a second communication channel is BearerIndependent Protocol (BIP).
 3. Method according to claim 1, comprising aprior step of detecting that the volume of the data to be backed up islarger than a predetermined volume, and selecting the second channeland/or another better adapted mode.
 4. Method according to claim 3,wherein the predetermined volume is equal to 200 Kbytes.
 5. Methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the second channel is chosen from amongCSD, GPRS and WLAN.
 6. Method according to claim 1, wherein the firstchannel is an SMS short message channel.
 7. Method according to claim 1,including a prior assessment step, of determining whether the cost ofthe data to be backed up is higher than a predetermined threshold, andperforming the backup according to the best adapted channel and/orbackup mode.
 8. Method according to claim 1, including a priorassessment step of determining whether the cost of the data to be backedup is higher than a predetermined threshold, and performing the backupaccording to an adapted channel and/or backup mode.
 9. Portable devicecomprising an application for backing up personal data of a subscriberof a wireless communication network by means of a first communicationchannel and according to a first backup mode, wherein the applicationcan implement the following steps, comprising: determining whether thedevice has a function and/or another backup mode that allows it toestablish at least a second communication channel and/or another backupmode, and if so, opening the communication on said second channel and/orsaid other mode, and proceeding to back up the data via said secondcommunication channel and/or said other mode.
 10. Portable deviceaccording to claim 9, wherein said device comprises a subscriberidentity module card.
 11. Method according to claim 2, comprising aprior step of detecting that the volume of the data to be backed up islarger than a predetermined volume, and selecting the second channeland/or another better adapted mode.
 12. Method according to claim 2,wherein the second channel is chosen from among CSD, GPRS and WLAN. 13.Method according to claim 3, wherein the second channel is chosen fromamong CSD, GPRS and WLAN.
 14. Method according to claim 4, wherein thesecond channel is chosen from among CSD, GPRS and WLAN.
 15. Methodaccording to claim 2, wherein the first channel is an SMS short messagechannel.
 16. Method according to claim 3, wherein the first channel isan SMS short message channel.
 17. Method according to claim 4, whereinthe first channel is an SMS short message channel.
 18. Method accordingto claim 5, wherein the first channel is an SMS short message channel.19. Method according to claim 2, including a prior assessment step, ofdetermining whether the cost of the data to be backed up is higher thana predetermined threshold, and performing the backup according to thebest adapted channel and/or backup mode.
 20. Method according to claim3, including a prior assessment step, of determining whether the cost ofthe data to be backed up is higher than a predetermined threshold, andperforming the backup according to the best adapted channel and/orbackup mode.